Look Towards the Dark Days with a Glad Heart

Some of my friends and I share music with one another while we work. We’re supposed to review/rate what gets shared with us, and share those reviews with the group, but that doesn’t always happen.

George Michael – Faith (1987)

Last year, we lost quite a few music icons. Tim decided to share something from one of them.

You know how much a fan of pop music I am, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the only song I have heard from this album is the title track. And only because I learned that Limp Bizkit’s version was a cover.

I didn’t love Father Figure, but I thought the vaguely ethnic synth voice was kind of cool.

I didn’t like I Want Your Sex. The music was okay in the Brass in Love section, but it’s not a song I’ll ever come back to. The bonus track A Last Request is the third, and best, part of the song.

This album is fine. It felt like a blend between Frankie Goes to Hollywood (Monkey), Michael Jackson (Hard Day), The Police and Queen (Hand to Mouth). The title track is definitely carrying most of the weight here. My second favorite tune was Fantasy, one of the bonus tracks, but the rest aren’t really worth your time. 2.9/5

Here’s what my friends had to say:

“I got through a couple listens of this and found the same things paul mentions. It really feels kind of old. It was enjoyable, but I wasn’t really getting excited about it either. There was some funky stuff that was fun, some decent tracks, but they didn’t seem especially memorable.” 3.6/5 – Spencer

Bibio – A Mineral Love (2016)

Bibio is the project of Stephen Wilkinson. His music weaves old-school sounding pop, guitar and smooth vocals – with a few electronic flourishes thrown in.

It really sounds like somebody wrote some songs, traveled back in time to record them (sometimes way back), and then jumped back to the present to mix and master it (mostly). It feels old, but still sounds new (mostly).

I feel like this would pair well with Ray LaMontagne, although this is a little more groovy, although some of the songs kind of lost me. I just didn’t like the grating sound of Wren Tails (I think he took the old-timey feel a little too far) and Saint Thomas was just too repetitive. 3/5

From my friends:

“I got through a couple listens of this and found the same things paul mentions. It really feels kind of old. It was enjoyable, but I wasn’t really getting excited about it either. There was some funky stuff that was fun, some decent tracks, but they didn’t seem especially memorable.” 3.6/5 – Spencer

Incubus – 40 Days (2006)

Chris shared an Incubus single (from the album that got me into them) a long time ago. This is the album that got me back into them. They’ve got sweet grooves and do things musically I never would have thought of. As a result, the non-ska tunes I was writing in my later college years have an Incubus influence (among other things).

Some of the highlights are Dig, Love Hurts, both Earth to Bellas, Oil and Water, and especially Anna Molly.

Here’s what my friends had to say:

“I would still love Incubus if it weren’t for Boyd’s cheesy lyrics and presentation. Have to admit I’ve never listened to this one though.” – Chris

Leave your own thoughts on any of these albums down in the comments section.